Dickathalon was right there…
Dick Fight Island Volume One
Reibun Ike (story and art), Adrienne Beck (translation), Deborah Fisher (touch up art and colouring), Alice Lewis (cover and graphic design), Jennifer Leblanc (editor)
Libre Inc./SuBLime (Viz Media)
2019/May 11, 2021
Every four years, eight clans across the Pulau Yong’Unda archipelago choose a champion to compete in the Great Wyrm Tournament to choose who will rule as king and king’s advisor. The tournament was devised to bring an end to the various wars and clashes that would take place between the islands, leading to overall peace. Though the tournament brings a strong rivalry, each clan is well-respected within the whole and the understanding is that all are needed to sustain the archipelago. Though briefly described, the unique elements of each island evoke a sense of paradise that goes beyond the seemingly stereotypical tropes that initially define them. For example, the Healers Clan are indeed shamans whose gifts come from the earth, but we learn of the unique properties of their islands that shape their craft.
And then we see those gifts exquisitely and explicitly used in battle.
The Great Wyrm Tournament, so named to symbolize each fighter’s ultimate weapon, is… unique. But surprisingly, it isn’t the size of one’s wyrm that defines manliness in this world. It is the pertness of one’s ass, which should be on full display when a clan member comes of age. This catches Hart off guard when he’s sent away to foreign lands to enhance his learning. His roommate Matthew, we learn, has to explain to Hart that it’s not proper etiquette to have one’s taut ass on display outside of the archipelago. Matthew also has other things to teach Hart, which the combatant brings back to the tournament as his secret weapon.
So let’s get to the tournament then: despite the crude name of the book, the story itself is focused on the beauty of the island and its competitors and their unique talents. Intricately designed armour serves to show off manly asses, but also serves as elaborate protection for the fighters’ penises.
The most obvious use of such elaborate armour would be sword fighting, but this dick fight is far more complicated despite a simple goal to each match: to make your opponent ejaculate. That typically means finding a way through that armour to stimulate the target appendage and achieve the desired effect. But with many years of training and unique techniques introduced at each tournament, that is easier said than done, and some cunning combatants have mastered techniques that don’t even require the removal of armour to make their opponents shiver and spurt and beg for more. Which is to say, these matches are all very, very interesting and very, very satisfying — but not just because of the hot, sweaty, sexy maneuverings. There’s a reason why this yaoi tale is dominating Amazon’s romance manga charts.
All of the combatants have their hearts in the game in various ways, or else the battles themselves inspire feelings to be pursued outside of the coliseum. Hart serves as the lynchpin that ties the various characters together in some way, without dominating the story himself. Initially, his is the narrative voice that introduces us to the other competitors, even using his secret technique to advance the plotlines of other characters. Much later on, he takes on a more protagonistic role when the story dips into his time spent in foreign lands and his lover subsequently following him back to the archipelago, upset at the prospect of having him touched sexually by other men. Though jealousy fuels Matthew’s journey, it does not dominate his experience, allowing him to appreciate Hart’s culture.
This story is told with tongue as firmly in cheek as finger or cock is firmly in ass or mouth or whatever the combatants come up with to defeat their opponent. There don’t actually appear to be any rules — though, amusingly, targeting asses seems to be a shocking tactic. “That’s practically sex!” says one combatant, learning a new technique prior to his match.
With this year’s tournament introducing such pleasures, there’s no telling what kind of training is going to go on over the next four years. Just kidding, we know exactly what kind of training is going to go on and can’t wait for the next volume.
